[Murdoc101]

The previous owner of my car installed a 350 chevy with a high volume oil pump, but this pump seems to be chewing up my distributor gear. Two questions, is there a way to solve this problem without changing the oil pump? Also, is it possible to change an oil pump without pulling the motor?

Thanks in advance

[302 Z28]

What kind of car is the 350 in? I have had a number of small block Chevy's with high volume pumps and had no issues with distributor gears.

Vince

[Murdoc101]

Its a 79 Camaro, but not the original motor. I've read in multiple places that high volume oil pumps can ruin distributor gears.

[EVSCHEV]

The high volume pump is overloading the drive, in turn overloading the distributor gear. We see it all the time. You can also modify the pump internally with a die grinder to prevent this from happening. We dont run high volume pumps on any engines we build. All they are good for is incresing pressure at idle, and after that all they do is bypass all that extra oil, super heating it in the process.

[chevelle_502]

Im installin a high volume oil pump in my 93 z71 and out of everybody ive talked to nobody's said anything about chewing up the distributor gear. On the 350 the oil pump is at the back of the engine in the oil pan and I havent pulled the engine in my truck. I just pushed the transmission back, took the oil pan off and there it was. replacement took like 5 minutes after half a day of gettin to it.

[Rick WI]

I think a better thing to look at is the gear alignment. Would be odd and a first for me to see a gear chewed up by a high volume pump. Far from the first time though for a gear to be chewed up due to incorrect mesh.

[Murdoc101]

http://www.cranecams.com/?show=article&id=26 this article gave me some interesting information on the subject. They claim the wear isn't caused by the high volume pump, but instead is caused by tighter internal clearances limiting oil flow. That seems to me to still be the high volume pump causing it, but only because it is being used in the wrong application. They suggest a way to machine a groove in the distributor to allow oil flow. I'll probably try this.

Also in the article is says you must use one of their bronze gears, and when I replaced my gear I used a steel gear that I was told is also strong enough. Anybody know if this is correct?

[techinspector1]

What they're saying is that with a cast iron, flat tappet cam, the drive gear material on the cam is soft enough to be compatible with a stock distributor gear, but if you change the cam to a roller unit that is made from tougher steel, then the drive gear on the cam will eat the stock distributor gear. Bottom line, roller cam, bronze distributor gear.